Sunday, September 11, 2016

Character Interview: Malone

During
a meeting with the writer’s group recently, someone asked about developing
characters. I’ve shared a form that’s been helpful for me over the years,
shaping the profile of a character to make them distinctive. Then I suggested
they try to interview the lead character, as if they were doing a feature for
the local news.

So
I decided it would be a good exercise. A few months ago I featured one on Jamie
Richmond. Today it’s time for Malone, the guy in her life, to take the hotseat.

1.Tell us a little about yourself.

Malone:
Well, I have worked in law enforcement as a Michigan State Police trooper for
more than fifteen years. It is important work and it’s something I do well.
I’ve been a sergeant for about ten years now. For quite a while, the afternoon
shift has been mine. I like having the mornings free. There is always plenty of
action and excitement between three in the afternoon and eleven at night.
Outside of work, I enjoy baseball, football, skiing, hockey and motorcycles. I
like classical music but not opera, jazz and blues but not reggae. I’m
divorced, early forties and enjoying life.And the only name I use is Malone. Most people don’t seem to notice, but
there is a certain redheaded female who is irked by that.

2.Who is the greatest love of your life? Why?
What drew you to them?

Malone: That
would be Jamie Richmond. She’s the redhead I just referred to. We’ve been
together less than a year, but I’d swear we’ve known each other a lot longer.
Maybe it’s because we squeeze so much into each moment we’re together.Jamie’s a fantastic woman. She has her
insecurities and idiosyncrasies like everyone else, but she’s got a great heart
and an even greater sense of humor. Jamie is a bit of a smart ass. But she’s
also very intelligent. She’s beautiful. I’ve always been a sucker for tall,
slender women and that describes her pretty well. We first met when she was
doing research for a novel and she ended up witnessing a trooper getting shot.
Jamie kept digging, trying to figure out what happened. In the end, she solved
it. So you could say it’s the combination of her beauty, her brains and her
personality that caught my attention.

3.Do you have any unusual interests of
hobbies?What led you to that interest?

Malone:
I’m a baseball junkie. I grew up playing the game, so I’ll watch it every
chance I get. When my schedule permits, I help coach a youth team in the
area.Baseball is sacred. Don’t try and
distract me when I’m watching a game. (Laughs) Well, Jamie can be very
distracting when she sets her mind to it. But I think she enjoys it as much as
I do. I used to have a motorcycle and would disappear on my days off, just
follow my nose all over the state, without a plan or a destination. That’s a
great way to travel. A few years ago, I took cooking lessons, so I could
impress a woman I was dating at the time. It didn’t work out, but I discovered
I enjoy cooking.

Malone: To
the other troopers I work with, I’m seen as a strong leader, capable of taking
charge of situations. As a cop, you have to be ready for anything. With Linda
(Jamie’s best friend) I think she views me as someone special. Jamie is the big
one. She sees me as this strong, fearless guy who may not have all the answers
but is willing to help her find them. (Laughs) Whatever that means!

6.
You’ve just gotten through an incredibly trying day.Now it’s time to kick back and put everything
behind you.Describe what you’d do.

Malone:
My workday normally ends just before midnight. So I’d go home and find Jamie.
She usually waits up for me. One look at her can cause me to forget about
everything else. If she’s been anticipating my arrival, we can get pretty
romantic in a hurry. If she’s pensive or preoccupied, that just motivates me to
take the lead. Jamie is pretty…adventurous. Sometimes we’ll talk for an hour or
two until we fall asleep.Whatever was
difficult about that day is soon long forgotten.

7.What is it about you that will interest a
reader?

Malone: I’m
a guy who can be calm and reassuring or taking charge, whatever the situation
needs. Since I’ve met Jamie, she triggers the romantic in me. Dating her has
reawakened the passion, the intensity that a relationship brings. I feel more
alive when she’s around. Even if I don’t have a first name! (Laughs) By the
way, Jamie is determined to figure that out. So every day, she calls me by a
different name. I’ve promised to tell her if she ever guesses right. So far,
she hasn’t come close.

8.If you could go anywhere in the world on an
all-expense paid trip, where would it be?

Malone:
I’ve always wanted to go to Europe. I’d love to have a big motorcycle and
cruise from one country to another, France and Spain and Italy and wherever the
wind took me. I understand the Amalfi Coast in Italy is incredible. Of course,
I’d want to take Jamie along, just to keep things from getting boring.

9.What trait in others do you find most
deplorable?

Malone:I’m not a big fan of violence. There are
people who live for it, whether it’s physically beating each other or blasting
away with guns merely for the sake of it. I’m a sharpshooter. I know how to use
weapons and how to use force to control a situation. That’s part of my job. But
I don’t want to be around people who live for it.

10.
Now for an off the wall question:What’s
your favorite meal?

Malone:
Chicken Piccata. It’s one of my favorite dishes to cook and it comes together
quickly. The first time I made it for Jamie I think it made her clothes
disintegrate. (Laughs) Well, it certainly seemed that way.

Hometown Reads

Why 319?

Devious

Vanishing Act

Fleeing Beauty

Fade Away

Pages

About Me

Yes,
my name really is Mark Love. I am a Michigan native, who up until recently
lived in the Metro Detroit area, where crime and corruption always seem to be
at the top of everyone's news. So there's always the chance to find something
that can trigger a story idea and enough interesting characters to jump start
your imagination.

While I have worked in many
industries and career paths over the years, one of my passions has always been
writing. I was even able to parlay that passion for a while, working as a
freelance reporter for a couple of newspapers in the Detroit area. Writing
features and hard news helped me hone my talents. But while newspaper worked
was interesting and paid a few bills, it was a far cry from the fiction writing
that I enjoy the most.

I've always been drawn to mysteries
and thrillers, the kind of stories that have a fast pace, that keep you moving
and keep you guessing as to what's going to take place next. Mix those in with
some elements of crime, perhaps a glimpse of the seedier side and you've got
me. So it's always been one of my goals to write stories like that.